KNB airs HD broadcasts for Toyama Prefecture

Kita Nihon Broadcast (KNB) is now airing HD news broadcasts to Japan’s Toyama Prefecture, a unique arrangement in Japan, whose terrestrial digital broadcasters do not usually provide digital programming for a commercial broadcaster’s local bureau.

KNB is using an Omneon Spectrum HD server and Omneon ProBrowse system, which integrate smoothly with editing and newsroom control systems to enable rapid access to content during the station’s HD production and playout workflows.

To support playout for its HD operations, KNB is using a main Spectrum server system with four input channels and three playout channels, as well as a backup Spectrum server with four input channels and two output channels. Each system provides 35 hours of storage capacity (MPEG-2 HD at 50mb/s) and supports four channels of embedded audio.

Four Avid NewsCutter Adrenaline HD units are networked with an Avid Unity production server, and all content is registered from Avid NLEs to the Omneon server system. An HDCAM VTR and remote line are linked to Avid NLEs that also control one of the Omneon input ports via BWV/VDCP protocol converter. The main Omneon server is controlled by Panasonic’s OTC and a manual playout controller developed by Avid Technology using Omneon API calls, while the backup server is controlled by the OTC. Journalists and editors at KNB use the Japrs News support system from Nishi Nihon Computer along with the Avid editing systems to build news segments and ensure that material is shared effectively and updated accurately across networked devices.